Sonoma freezes when playing movie files via HDMI

We have experienced this same problem -- on multiple occasions, in multiple venues, with multiple different projectors/monitors, with multiple different MacBooks (all running Sonoma).

THE QUICK-AND-SIMPLE WORKAROUND THAT SAVED OUR PRESENTATION AND OUR REPUTATION

SITUATION: You're giving a presentation, and two minutes in, your Apple MacBook slows, become unresponsive and freezes. Hundreds of people are looking at you. You rebook your computer, reconnect your MacBook, and relaunch your presentation. And the same freeze-up happens. The audience is becoming restless. A technician appears and says the same thing has been happening to other (Sonoma) users---the technician knows no fix. Your talk is in imminent danger of being canceled.

THE INSTANT FIX: (for Zoom Pro users only) Launch a Zoom session, start screen-sharing, and THEN launch your talk. Everything will just work. Problem solved and disaster averted!

GOTCHA:   Whenever you're invited to a venue that lacks an internet connection, then Zoom won't launch a session---your talk will be canceled. And if you're not a (paying) Zoom Pro user, this workaround won't help you at all.

CONCLUSION: We agree 100% with commentator mma165's top-rated comment that "This is a total disaster and [we] don't understand how something this basic is going unaddressed."

There is another thread with similar problem, yet, as noted above, a lot of users do NOT see this problem.

It appears to only happen with some macs, when using an external monitor in mirror mode.

You could change the external display to extended desktop instead. It seems that this can avoid the issue.

This only appears for some users, and not others, which makes it harder to troubleshoot and fix.

I have tried this on different macs, Intel and Apple Silicon alike, with different displays, and could not cause this problem to arise.

Agree 100% that "This is a total disaster and I don't understand how something this basic is going unaddressed" ... because we have experienced this same problem on multiple occasions, at multiple venues, with multiple different projector-models, with multiple connector-cables, with multiple Sonoma-running MacBook Pros ... and venue-technicians report that other Sonoma/MacBook Pro users are encountering the same problem.

Minimal Working Example (MWE): MacBook Pro + Sonoma + screen mirroring + QuickTIme animation.

Instant Fix: connect to internet, launch Zoom Pro session, launch screen sharing ... and NOW run your presentation (using Zoom Screen-share as a wrapper).

Hmmm ... no internet connection? Or perhaps not a (paid) Zoom Pro subscriber. Then the sole remaining workaround is to study Stoic philosophy ... because your talk is going to be canceled.

You are note alone. Many users have the same problem of you.

See here:

Sonoma freezes / crashes when playbacking… - Apple Community

Yes I'm having the precise problem with Sonoma 14.1.1, MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 2020. I'm a scientist and have to give talks with this thing pretty frequently and it has completely messed up several talks now, occurring when the Keynote file I'm using for the presentation gets to a slide with a movie on it, and I'm attached to a projector via an HDMI cable. Several technicians at my university have been tryin to debug. Their first suggestion was to use a genuine Apple HDMI adapter - this did not work. Their second was to try playing the file in a new account, which seems to not work as best I can tell from this thread Sonoma freezes / crashes when playbacking… - Apple Community. The other solution people are reporting is using VLC, which is not an option for Keynote with videos embedded.

This is a total disaster and I don't understand how something this basic is going unaddressed.

Hers an idea look at the bottom to see it

just watch it on the Mac screen instead

hmm

M1 MBA I used to own, zero issues via HDMI to Samsung HD TV

M2 MBA I do own, zero issues via HDMI to Samsung HD TV

M1 and M2 MAC Minis I Own , zero issues via HDMI to Samsung HD TV

MBAs using the Apple Multiport adapter

Mac Minis have the builtin HDMI female connectors, not need for adapter

All Machines started with Ventura and upgraded to Ventura 13.6 before jumping onto Sonoma 14.0 to 14.1 presently

I can watch any number of streaming movie content over my Belkin HDMI 2.1 UltraSpeed cable to my 32-in LG display. From Netflix, Paramount+, Pluto.tv, YouTube, AppleTV, etc. No freezes, no dropouts and this is over a Wi-Fi 6 wireless connection out through a Synology RT6600ax router connected to a Motorola MB8611 cable modem via Cat7 cable and then Comcast. M2 Mac Mini Pro w/32GB ram and Sonoma 14.1.

Same problem here, guess the issue has not been taken care by Apple.

I regret upgrading the OS. I'm a teacher and since then each time i connhect via HDMI the screen freezes and i have to force Shutdown

MBP 16" M1

Sonoma 14.4.1

same problem SONOMA 14.1

It still freezes on the Mac screen.

In the true context of the Authors posting " External screen is available, but laggy "